Japan has quietly passed legislation much like the SOPA, PIPA and ACTA attempts which Americans and Europeans have been attempting to beat back for months. Among other things, this means much of the content on YouTube is basically illegal now in Japan. Worse, because of the vague wording of the bill, it might also be illegal for Japanese citizens to watch YouTube videos anywhere else, either.

I don't know what kinds of effects Japan's law is going to have on the international state of the internet, but I can say what I hope will happen:

I hope this legislation, which will obviously fail to improve the quality of the internet in Japan, or the profitability of record companies' endeavors there, will become a clear case study that international protections of web freedom are necessary.

I hope it will lead to the promotion and passage of an internet bill of rights, which would supersede Japan's legislation. I hope this will make clear the need for a more cohesive international community, and some amount of worldwide law.